Dr. van den Brink on Adding Ibrutinib to R-CHOP in NHL

Marcel R.M. van den Brink, MD, PhD, Head, Division of Hematologic Oncology, Alan N. Houghton Chair, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, discusses a trial being presented at the 2013 ASH Annual Meeting, analyzing the addition of ibrutinib to R-CHOP in patients with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL).

Ibrutinib, a promising novel agent that blocks Bruton's tyrosine kinase activity, was analyzed in a phase I study in combination with R-CHOP in treatment-naive patients with CD20-positive B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

According to the abstract, the objective response rate (ORR) for the 15 evaluable patients was 100%, with a 73% complete response (CR) rate. Interim data specifically for the 22 patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) also demonstrated a 100% ORR, with a CR rate of 64%.

In the study, the combination of ibrutinib and R-CHOP had an acceptable safety profile. Many of the side effects associated with the treatment were similar to R-CHOP alone, the currently accepted standard of care for patients in this setting.